After a lot of contentiousness over the last month or so, the Bruins and Jeremy Swayman were able to find a landing spot for a long-term contract after all. Just days before the start of the NHL regular season, the B’s announced that their 25-year-old All-Star goaltender has signed a new eight-year contract that will pay him $8.25 million per season for a grand total of $66 million.
It's a slight bump from the $64 million that Bruins President Cam Neely referenced earlier this week at Bruins Media Day, and what should end up being a good deal for both sides should Swayman continue developing into the No. 1 workhorse goaltender that nearly everybody believes he will be for the Black and Gold.
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 6, 2024
In essence, the contract allows Swayman to bypass the typical bridge contract that many in his position have signed, such as the three-year, $15-million contract that Juuse Saros signed in a similar position to Swayman a handful of years ago prior to his recent, massive long term contract. Swayman ended up signing a richer contract than Saros, who has topped 60 games played for the Predators in each of the last three straight seasons. So it’s a win for him and for any young goalies like him that really burst on the scene as he did last season with a strong regular season campaign combined with an electric playoff performance.
But it also allows the B’s to buy out six years of UFA service for Swayman when this deal could look like a bargain after guys like Igor Shesterkin and Sergei Bobrovsky sign new deals that will undoubtedly set a new, higher market for netminders where they will be hitting eight digits with the AAV in their contracts.
The really interesting thing, though, will be how the circumstances behind this contract impacts both the goalie and the team moving forward. The bar has been raised on Swayman in terms of expectations and pressure based purely on the big contract, and he will be in a difficult spot as a young netminder who just basically sat out the entire NHL training camp prior to the regular season.
For a 25-year-old goalie who will be without a Vezina Trophy-winning partner for the first time in his B’s career, with Tuukka Rask and Linus Ullmark always being there to shoulder some of the goalie burden, this could be a season where some struggles and growth could come in a challenging adjustment period. That will be something to watch, as will the fan reaction if Swayman does experience some bouts of adversity after he, and his representation, were uncharacteristically vocal in a Bruins contract negotiation situation that is usually completed behind closed doors and without the drama.
It started with a sticky arbitration process two summers ago that Swayman didn’t particularly enjoy, and that seemed to roll over into some back-and-forth in negotiations that will need to be smoothed over moving forward. The completed contract is obviously a strong first step in everybody being forgiven and forgotten, and both Don Sweeney and Swayman will chat with the media on Sunday morning about the new contract.
It is expected that Joonas Korpisalo is going to be the opening night starter for the Bruins on Tuesday night against the Florida Panthers, and it remains to be seen how quickly Swayman will be in the fold after missing all of B’s training camp over the last month.
